PTI Seeks Imran Khan’s Transfer to Shifa Hospital After Recommended Heart Scan Was Not Done

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan‘s medical care in custody has come under renewed scrutiny after his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), alleged that a recommended CT coronary angiography was not performed despite doctors advising the test to assess possible cardiac complications.

The PTI has demanded that Khan, 73, be transferred without delay from Adiala Jail to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, arguing that the hospital has the specialist facilities required for the examination. The party has also called for Khan’s complete medical records and diagnostic reports to be shared with his family, personal doctors and legal team.

The controversy has prompted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to form an inquiry committee to establish what happened and determine responsibility. The Investigation adds an official dimension to a dispute that has repeatedly surrounded Khan’s Health, access to medical treatment and conditions of detention.

At the centre of the latest disagreement is a relatively straightforward medical question: why was a test reportedly recommended by doctors not completed when Khan was taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad?

Why PTI is demanding a CT coronary angiography

According to PTI, Khan was taken to PIMS on Friday for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations. During the hospital visit, doctors reportedly recommended a CTA of the heart.

Hospital officials, however, said the required facility was unavailable, after which Khan was returned to Adiala Jail without undergoing the cardiac examination.

PTI Central Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram has described the episode as more than an administrative problem. He alleged that authorities failed to ensure that a medically recommended test was completed despite the availability of appropriate facilities elsewhere.

The party has therefore singled out Shifa International Hospital as the preferred destination for the examination and other specialist medical care.

What is a CT coronary angiography?

A CT coronary angiography, commonly known as coronary CTA, is an imaging test used to examine the heart’s coronary arteries. It uses computed tomography to create detailed images that can help doctors assess the condition of blood vessels supplying the heart.

It is different from conventional invasive coronary angiography because the latter involves inserting a catheter into the blood vessels, while coronary CTA is performed using CT imaging and contrast material.

The relevance of the test in Khan’s case, according to the supplied account, comes from concerns reported by doctors about fluctuating blood pressure, restlessness and possible cardiac complications.

Only Khan’s treating physicians can determine why the examination was recommended and what specific clinical question they were attempting to answer. The fact that a test was recommended does not, by itself, establish that Khan has a serious heart condition.

PTI says the test had already been recommended

The PTI has argued that the latest episode cannot be viewed in isolation.

Akram said a cardiologist at PIMS had recommended the CTA on August 1 after Khan experienced symptoms including heart palpitations and severe headaches. He also said a government medical board examined Khan on August 10.

The party says these developments make the failure to complete the scan particularly concerning because the medical recommendation allegedly predated Khan’s later visit to PIMS.

PTI’s argument is that once a specialist had recommended the diagnostic procedure, arrangements should have been made to ensure it could be carried out rather than returning Khan to prison without the examination.

The government inquiry will be important in establishing whether that interpretation is accurate and, if the test was not performed because of logistical or administrative problems, where responsibility lies.

Why the choice of hospital has become a political issue

The disagreement is not simply about the availability of a scanner.

PTI has specifically questioned why Khan was taken to PIMS rather than Shifa International Hospital, which the party says had the facilities required for the cardiac examination.

Akram argued that the Supreme Court had directed Khan’s comprehensive medical examination and treatment at Shifa International. The party says that taking him to a facility where the recommended test could not be completed raises questions about whether the treatment arrangements complied with the court’s directions.

That allegation is serious because medical care for a high-profile prisoner can involve overlapping responsibilities between doctors, prison authorities, government departments and the courts.

If a court has issued directions concerning treatment, authorities must ensure that medical arrangements are consistent with the applicable order. Determining whether that happened in this case is one of the issues the government’s inquiry will have to clarify.

What remains to be established

Several questions remain unanswered from the available account.

• Why was the recommended CTA not completed when Khan was taken to PIMS?
• Was the required CT facility genuinely unavailable at the time of his visit?
• Were alternative arrangements considered before he was returned to jail?
• What exactly did the relevant doctors recommend regarding further cardiac evaluation?
• What did the applicable Supreme Court directions require regarding Khan’s medical treatment?
• Why was Shifa International not used if the required specialist facilities were available there?

The inquiry committee established by the government is expected to help determine the factual answers rather than leaving the dispute to competing political claims.

Shehbaz Sharif orders an inquiry

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed an inquiry committee to establish the facts surrounding the missed medical test and determine responsibility.

The decision is significant because the government is not simply rejecting the allegation as a political accusation. An internal investigation provides a mechanism to establish whether there was a communication failure, equipment issue, scheduling problem or another reason the procedure was not completed.

PTI, however, has questioned why such an issue was allowed to arise in the first place.

Akram said the inquiry should examine coordination between the cardiology and radiology departments and establish why Khan was not taken to Shifa International if the necessary facilities were available there.

He has also called for the prompt disclosure of Khan’s medical records, reports and diagnostic results to people involved in his care and legal representation.

PTI says the issue reflects a wider pattern

For PTI, the latest incident fits into a broader dispute over Khan’s medical treatment while he has been incarcerated.

Akram described the failure to conduct the CTA as part of what he called a recurring problem involving delays and alleged negligence in providing Khan with timely medical care.

Khan’s relatives and supporters have previously raised concerns about his treatment in custody, including access to medical care, family visits and legal counsel.

The government, meanwhile, has maintained that Khan is receiving appropriate care. The inquiry into the latest incident could therefore become important in determining whether the specific allegations have a factual basis.

The political context cannot be separated entirely from the medical dispute. Khan remains one of Pakistan’s most politically consequential opposition figures, and virtually every development concerning his imprisonment has implications for the country’s wider political conflict.

That makes independent documentation of his medical condition especially important.

Imran Khan’s prolonged detention adds to scrutiny

Khan was arrested on August 5, 2023, in a corruption case and has remained in custody at Adiala Jail near Rawalpindi.

His continued detention has been accompanied by repeated legal disputes involving his convictions, appeals and other cases.

Because he is being held in custody, decisions about medical treatment necessarily involve authorities beyond the patient and his personal doctors. Prison officials and government health institutions have responsibilities concerning access to appropriate medical care.

That makes timely coordination especially important when a specialist recommends additional testing.

In a normal medical setting, a patient can often seek another facility if a particular diagnostic service is unavailable. For a prisoner, however, movement to another hospital requires official approval and Security arrangements.

That difference is central to understanding why the missed scan has become a political controversy.

Medical care and the rights of prisoners

Regardless of political affiliation, prisoners remain entitled to appropriate medical treatment. The precise scope and manner of that treatment are governed by applicable law, prison regulations and judicial directions.

In Khan’s case, the debate has an additional layer because his medical care is being scrutinised by political opponents, supporters, lawyers and the courts.

That makes transparency particularly valuable.

A clear medical record can distinguish between what doctors actually recommended, what treatment was ultimately provided and what administrative barriers may have prevented a procedure from being completed.

Without such documentation, disagreements over medical care can quickly become political disputes in which competing sides present different versions of events.

Why the government’s inquiry matters

The inquiry committee now has an opportunity to address the central factual questions.

If the recommended CTA was not performed because the necessary equipment or specialist service was genuinely unavailable at PIMS, the inquiry can establish whether alternative arrangements should have been made.

If there was a communication or coordination failure, the government can identify where it occurred and whether procedures need to change.

If the relevant court directions were not followed, that would raise a separate question about compliance that may require judicial consideration.

Conversely, if the available medical records show that the procedure could not reasonably have been conducted at that time or that alternative clinical considerations applied, those facts would also be important to establishing what actually happened.

The investigation therefore has value beyond the immediate political dispute. A transparent account could clarify how medical decisions concerning a high-profile prisoner are made and implemented.

PTI wants treatment moved to Shifa International

The PTI’s immediate demand is clear: it wants Khan transferred to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for the recommended cardiac examination and specialist care.

Akram has argued that the hospital has the necessary facilities and that Khan’s medical treatment should not be delayed because of administrative problems.

The party has also demanded access to Khan’s complete medical records for his family, personal doctors and legal team.

From the party’s perspective, those steps would address two concerns simultaneously: ensuring that Khan receives the diagnostic evaluation his doctors reportedly recommended and creating greater transparency around his medical condition.

Whether the transfer takes place, however, will depend on the decisions of the relevant authorities and any applicable judicial directions.

The political stakes are unusually high

Medical controversies involving political prisoners can become flashpoints because health concerns intersect with questions of state authority and political legitimacy.

For PTI, the issue provides another reason to challenge the government’s treatment of its imprisoned leader.

For the government, the inquiry is an opportunity to demonstrate that Khan’s medical care is being managed according to established procedures rather than political considerations.

The most credible resolution will therefore depend on evidence rather than competing allegations.

Medical recommendations, hospital records, court orders, administrative communications and the inquiry committee’s findings will be more important than political rhetoric in establishing what happened.

What happens next?

The immediate focus will be on the government’s inquiry and on whether Khan is transferred to Shifa International for further evaluation.

The outcome of the inquiry could determine whether the missed CTA resulted from a genuine logistical problem, a failure of coordination or a more serious breach of procedure.

Further medical examinations may also clarify whether Khan has any underlying cardiac condition requiring treatment. At this stage, the fact that doctors reportedly recommended a coronary CTA should not be treated as proof of a specific diagnosis.

The release of medical records could help settle some of the competing claims, provided privacy and legal requirements are observed.

A medical question that has become a test of institutional accountability

The dispute over Imran Khan’s CT coronary angiography has quickly expanded beyond a single missed medical test.

PTI sees the episode as evidence of repeated failures in Khan’s medical care and is demanding his immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital. The government has responded by establishing an inquiry to determine what happened and WHO was responsible.

The central issue now is whether the recommended medical procedure was appropriately managed and whether the authorities complied with the relevant medical advice and court directions.

Given Khan’s political importance and prolonged detention, transparency will be essential. A clear account of the medical recommendations, hospital arrangements and reasons the CTA was not completed would help separate documented facts from political allegations.

Until that information is established, claims of deliberate obstruction or medical negligence remain allegations rather than proven conclusions. The inquiry and Khan’s subsequent medical care will determine whether the latest controversy ends as an administrative failure or develops into a larger dispute over the treatment of a high-profile political prisoner.